Amazon Orders Fantasy Drama 'Carnival Row' to Series

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Rene Echevarria

The eight-episode hourlong project from Legendary TV takes place in a neo-Victorian city.

Amazon is adding to its drama roster.

The streaming service has ordered Carnival Row, a Neo-Victorian fantasy series. The eight-episode hourlong drama, which hails from Legendary Television, will be written and executive produced by Rene Echevarria (Star Trek). Paul McGuigan (Luke Cage) is set to direct and exec produce, along with Travis Beacham (Pacific Rim). Beacham penned the original script, A Killing on Carnival Row, which appeared on The Black List in 2005.

In Carnival Row, mythical creatures fleeing their war-torn homeland have gathered in the city, and tensions are simmering between citizens and the growing immigrant population. We follow the investigation of a string of unsolved murders which are eating away at whatever uneasy peace still exists. The series is set to begin filming in fall 2018 for a 2019 release.

“There has never been a series like Carnival Row before,” Joe Lewis, head of comedy, drama and VR at Amazon Studios, said Wednesday in a statement. “The scope of the storytelling combined with the uniqueness of the world, themes and aesthetics haven’t been on TV before. A simple police investigation will lead us down a remarkable journey in a world where humans and creatures co-exist. We’re so excited about what Rene, Travis and Paul are creating and we can’t wait to bring it to customers.”

Added Lauren Whitney, president of scripted television at Legendary: “Carnival Row is inspiringly ambitious and timely in a way that we never could have anticipated. We are thrilled to have excellent partners at Amazon, and the infinitely talented trio of Echevarria, McGuigan and Beacham as the driving force behind this show.”

Echevarria was most recently an exec producer on Teen Wolf and, before that, Terra Nova. His credits also include Medium and Dark Angel.